BMJ 2010;341:c7014 doi: 10.1136/bmj.
c7014 (Published 20 December 2010)
Letters
KNIFE CRIME VICTIMS
Disclosing identity is not sensible or effective
1 2
Adrian A Boyle consultant emergency physician , Fiona Lecky senior lecturer
1
Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge CB2 2QQ, UK; 2Manchester University, Manchester, UK
We are worried by proposals that patient identifiable data
concerning knife crime victims should be shared with the police.1
There is little robust evidence that this is an effective way to
reduce knife crime. We worry that this will discourage victims
from seeking medical help, particularly adolescents and those
injured during domestic abuse.
General Medical Council provides guidelines on data sharing,2
but the advice regarding inflicted injuries from sharp objects is,
in our view, unworkable. It recommends informing the police
promptly when a stabbing victim presents to an emergency
department, so that they arrive promptly. However, we are then
advised not to disclose the patient’s identity without consent,
which is not usually granted. The police then become frustrated
after arrival at the emergency department.
Perceptions of the injuries caused by stabbings can be distorted.
Data from the Trauma Audit and Research Network show that
adrian.boyle@addenbrookes.nhs.uk
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LETTERS
less than 25% of stab victims presenting to an emergency
department require hospital admission, let alone surgery.
The College of Emergency Medicine has long supported sharing
anonymised data with community safety partnerships.3 We
believe that this is a more effective way to reduce community
violence.
Competing interests: AB is the lead author for the College of Emergency
Medicine guideline on information sharing to reduce community violence.
1 Cole A. Surgeons call for identity of knife crime victims to be shared with police. BMJ
2010;341:c6579. (16 November.)
2 General Medical Council. Confidentiality: reporting gunshot and knife wounds. www.gmc-
uk.org/Confidentiality_reporting_gunshot_wounds_2009.pdf_27493825.pdf.
3 College of Emergency Medicine. Information sharing to prevent community violence.
2008. www.collemergencymed.ac.uk/asp/document.asp?id=4881 .
Cite this as: BMJ 2010;341:c7014
© BMJ Publishing Group Ltd 2010
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